Always Friends: Always Rivals
by Lysha
Summary: Although Sora and Riku have always been the closest of friends, they have also always been the fiercest of rivals. It's only from one another do they get their strength.


**_Author's Note: _**This is a little one-shot fic I wrote after watching a cutscene from Kingdom Hearts: Final Mix. The place I downloaded it from called it 'Sora's Memories' and recalled about 30 seconds of Riku and Sora together on Destiny Islands. As I was watching, I came up with a little kind of backstory from when they were kids - although Riku is Sora's best friend, what if Riku was also the one who gave him strength to become what he is in Kingdom Hearts -even stronger than Riku himself? So, this is what I came up with, set three years before the actual events of the game, a little idea of why I think Sora is as strong as he is.  
Sora inparticularly may seem a little out of character in some places, but this was deliberate. For a start, he is only eleven years old, and secondly, if he behaved exactly as he did in KH, there would be no point in this story ;)  
Anyway, I hope you enjoy, and I apologise for the long author's note. Reviews would be very much appreciated!  
**_  
Dedication:_ **To the ones who make me who I am today, my friends :)

**

* * *

Always Friends, Always Rivals**

One. Two. Three_. Plunk._

"Hah! Did you see that? That one was a three! You won't beat that!" the stone's skipper grinned, long white hair framing his mature features and vivid green eyes. He had always been told he looked quite adult for his age.

The boy sitting next to him kicked his legs a little, swinging them over the dock's edge and took another smooth stone from the pile they had gathered. "Oh yeah? Watch this!" he smiled in return, a challenge in his true-blue eyes, but gentleness in his words. He pulled his arm back a little, and propelled the stone outwards, towards the sea's water.

One. _Plunk._

The white-haired boy laughed, teasingly.

"Hey, come on, Riku! That wasn't fair, let me take another go!"

"No way, it's my turn now." The older of the two boys – Riku – was an athletic boy of twelve. He was the most able of his group of friends and served as somewhat of a big brother figure to them all. Yet he was the last one to try to keep anyone in line – especially as he was normally the first one to step out of it.

The other boy pouted. He was Sora – Riku's younger by a year. The two had been the closest of friends since before they could even remember; yet there was always a subtle kind of rivalry between them. Sora was not as strong as Riku, or as fast, or as mature – yet he still continued to challenge him, trying to be better. He almost looked up to Riku in a way.

Riku picked up his next stone, throwing it upwards and catching it, as though getting a feel for it. "See, you've got to get more swing on your arm…" he instructed, moving his arm back as he spoke. "Like this. Then you need to skim, not throw – like _this."_

The grey pebble left his hand effortlessly. Sora watched it split the air as it danced along the water's surface.

One. Two. Three. Four. Five. _Plunk._

Sora stared at the ripples forming where the stone had sunk. He turned with awe to face his friend. "That was _five_?"

Riku grinned. "It's not so hard. Go on, you should try again."

Sora hesitated, then nodded unsurely. He carefully chose his flat stone from the pile, tongue sticking out, just as much smaller child's would as they concentrated. Then, glancing over all the time towards Riku, he moved his arm backwards just as he had been told. "Like this?"

"Yeah, but just loosen up a little. Don't look so tense!" Riku smiled, encouragingly. "Now, when you throw, throw it over the top of the water, not into it."

Sora nodded. Glancing back and forth a few times to make sure Riku was still watching, he tossed the stone outward.

One. Two. Three. _Plunk._

Sora bounced a little where he sat. "Three! I did a three!"

"You're getting better," Riku said, smiling too at his friend's achievement.

"One day, I'm gonna get so good, that you can't beat me at _anything _anymore. Even rock skipping!" Sora's eyes shone with determination as he clenched his fists.

"Oh, and what was the score today?" Riku raised an eyebrow.

Sora pouted again. Riku knew very well what their daily competition score had been like today – he just liked to hear Sora say it, as though his rival were admitting defeat. "It was six to zero."

"To who?" Riku questioned, feigning surprise.

"You!" Sora reached out and pushed Riku to the side, frowning at him.

Riku hardly budged, laughing aloud at Sora's tantrum.

Sora folded his arms sharply, his expression that of a childish sulk. "It's not funny, Riku! You're always better than me, and you _always_ win."

Riku tilted his head to the side as he looked at his friend, sighing a little. "You shouldn't take it to heart," he said, simply.

Sora looked up at him. "Huh?"

"After all, it's not my fault that I'm better than you," Riku laughed again, diving for Sora in a tackle.

Sora let out a little cry, trying to scramble to his feet as Riku's arm encircled his neck. A second later and Riku had pulled him across the deck, closer to him.

"Get off!" Sora protested, struggling, but laughing all the same.

Riku grasped him tighter and put his fist into the side of Sora's head, ruffling his brown hair.

Sora waved his arms around, legs flailing, trying to throw Riku off. "Ow! That hurts! Stop it, Riku!" he yelled out – but nevertheless, he was still laughing.

Riku never tormented Sora like this to make him sad, or jealous. Perhaps his real intention was just to tease Sora – but it had a much more different effect on the younger boy than that which Riku could ever intend. Instead of dragging Sora down, Riku's taunts about their daily scores motivated him to do better the following day, and – little by little – Riku was slowly quelling the sulky little cry-baby that made Sora still a child, and was building him instead into a strong competitor, even for Riku himself.

He finally let Sora free, and Sora scrambled back to his side of the dock, evading another attack.

Riku didn't start after him. Instead, he lifted his legs back on to the dock, holding them close to his chest, a trace of a smile still on his face. He cast his eyes out at the sunset that was out on the horizon, telling him that it was nearly time for them to set off home.

Sora followed his gaze out to the setting sun and back again, pondering the silence. "What're you looking at?" he asked, innocently.

"Out there," Riku pointed outwards, right to the blood-red line where the sea met the sky.

Sora stared blankly. He saw nothing but the water. He squinted a little, as though trying to make out what Riku was looking at so intensely. "I can't see it… what's there?"

Riku shrugged. "I don't know. That's what I want to go and see."

Sora was confused. He had never before considered that there was anything beyond that which he could see, beyond this little world that he called his home. And why should he have? Children do not normally contemplate what they cannot see. "I don't get it…" he muttered.

"Sora, just promise me we'll go out there and see it all together someday, like we said we would," Riku said, eyes still fixed out to sea.

"Um… yeah, of course!" Sora said, still not grasping Riku's words.

"Then, that's good," Riku smiled, his cheer suddenly returning. "Now tell me, what was it I beat you at today?"

Sora looked puzzled, taking a few seconds to grasp the change of subject. "Tree-climbing…" he grumbled eventually. "But that was only because my tree was taller than yours!"

"What else?"

"Sword fights… you beat me three whole times at that today…" he cast his eyes down. "But that was only because I hurt my arm!"

"And the other times?"

"Races… but that was only because you used shortcuts!"

Riku laughed a little. "Then there you go, you've even said yourself that there's nothing to worry about, if those were the reasons you lost."

Sora's eyes suddenly lit up as he considered this. "Yeah…"

Riku got to his feet, brushing himself off. "So, what do you say we do one more lap of this race course before we set off home?"

Sora beamed, jumping to his feet alongside his friend.

In a flash, Riku had taken to his heels, running back along the dock to their usual starting point.

Sora started to follow, but only took a few steps before he froze again. He looked thoughtfully at the pile of rocks still sitting near the edge of the dock, fingers twitching instinctively.

He reached down and took one in his hand.

_A little more swing on your arm…loosen up a little…_

Fixing his eyes on the level with the water's surface, he pulled his arm back, trying not to tense his muscles.

_Skim it, not throw._

Curling the stone in his fingers, he let it fly. As it hit the water's surface it sent up showers of red light.

One. Two. Three. Four. Five. _Plunk._

He smiled. "_That_ was five."

He turned around, running the same way Riku had gone, eager to start their next competition.

* * *

Emily Nash-Medlyn (Lysha) 

Monday 16th January 2006

**_Author's Note: _**I don't really intend to continue this, as I can't really think of any way to do so. But if anyone has any ideas to a way I could add to it, I would welcome them with gratitude :)


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